SHRM CEO Addresses Education and Workforce Issues at House Hearing

SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, spoke before Congress about the obstacles impeding the critical bridge between education and employment in the U.S., including the misalignment between higher education programs and workforce demands. Taylor also highlighted a K-12 system that leaves students unprepared for employment and the underutilization of untapped pools of talent.

Pipeline Is ‘Leaky, Broken, and Busted’

Testifying Feb. 5 before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce in Washington, D.C., Taylor said, “the education-to-employment pipeline is leaky, broken, and busted. That said, our system is still the best in the world. Imagine what we could be if we unleashed the power of talent? This pipeline is a vital component of our efforts to mitigate the challenges of our current workplaces, to improve the lives and livelihoods of workers and their families, and to close the skills gap.”

The hearing, titled “The State of American Education,” focused on a wide range of issues including affirmative action, educational curriculum, student loans, school choice, and the continued existence of the U.S. Department of Education.

Taylor focused on continuing workforce development, closing the workforce participation gap, and preparing workers and employers for a future of work in which some AI-related job displacement will occur.

“We’ve invested billions in higher education, but degrees don’t always align with labor market needs,” he said. “Employers are beginning to focus on skills-based hiring, recognizing that practical experience and certifications often provide a better measure of job readiness and success than a traditional four-year degree.”

He noted that initiatives like Michigan State University’s Align Center project and North Carolina’s myFutureNC “prove that we can better connect education to employment.”

Describing K-12 education as “broken,” Taylor said that high school has shifted away from vocational training, leaving students without practical skills that prepare them for immediate employment.

“Hands-on learning works,” he said, providing the examples of Aspire Trade High School in Huntersville, N.C., where students earn both a high school diploma and a trade certificate, and John Bowne High School in New York City, which has a program that prepares students for careers in agriculture.  

Taylor added that more of an effort must be made to recruit from untapped populations—such as people with disabilities and those with a criminal record—who bring unique skills and potential to the workforce, but “outdated policies and a lack of tailored strategies hinder their participation.”

He expressed SHRM’s support for bipartisan efforts such as legislation that would expand access to Pell Grants for high-quality, short-term training programs and the modernization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the nation’s primary workforce development and training law. The bill reauthorizing WIOA nearly made it to the finish line last year, passing the House of Representatives and being agreed to in the Senate before being cut out of year-end legislation.

Committee Chairman Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said that he looked forward to continuing work on reauthorizing WIOA. “We have about 8 million unfilled jobs in our country, so there is clearly a mismatch between the skills our workforce has and the skills our employers need,” he said. “Unfortunately, the nation’s workforce system, authorized under WIOA, is failing to fill in the gap.”

Taylor said that SHRM appreciated the opportunity to work with the committee in the last Congress in helping to shape WIOA.

“Among the provisions we are particularly supportive of are those that support skills-based hiring; ensuring more funds go directly to support training; leveraging the efforts of employers to carry out training, such as through critical industry skills fund and sector partnerships; and creating new skilling opportunities to dislocated workers through expanded individual training accounts,” he said.

Responding to a question from Rep. Rick Allen, R-Ga., about the adoption of skills-based hiring, Taylor said that many workers are seeking an alternative path to employment that does not involve a four-year degree and that more employers are hiring people based on skills over degree requirements. He said he supports college education but that alternatives are also needed to bridge the skills gap.

“The best talent shows up in different ways,” he said. “The best talent doesn’t necessarily have a college degree. They might have a skilled credential. Ultimately, what we want is people who can do the work, whether or not they have a degree.”  

One barrier to skills-based employment over degree attainment is the stigma of not pursuing higher education. It will require a collective effort to change the perception so that people realize it’s OK to acquire skills through a credential that leads to employment, he said.

Taylor also responded to inquiries about career and technical education programs and apprenticeships. “SHRM is a huge supporter of apprenticeships,” he said. He added that apprenticeship programs are necessary to address the skilled worker shortage but that they should be paid apprenticeships in order to produce the best outcomes.

Additional witnesses at the hearing included Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education; Preston Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.